The following is a list of speed records for various types of vehicles . This list only presents the single greatest speed achieved in each broad record category; for more information on records under variations of test conditions, see the specific article for each record category. As with many world records , there may be some dispute over the criteria for a record-setting event, the authority of the organization certifying the record, and the actual speed achieved.
^ Average over two subsequent runs in opposite directions over a 1 mile (1.6 km) course, with flying start[ 1]
^ Average over 1 mile (1.6 km), with a flying start
^ Average over two subsequent runs with four hours to work on the vehicle in impound[ 5]
^ Average over 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), with a flying start
^ a b c Average over two subsequent runs in opposite directions over a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) course, with flying start[ 1]
^ Average over 50 metres (160 ft)[ 9]
^ Unpaced on a straight surface -0.6% grade;[ 11] average over 200 metres (660 ft), with flying start (For other cycling records, see cycling records )
^ For vehicles powered directly by solar power, without batteries
Aircraft speed records are based on true airspeed , rather than ground speed .
Airspeed records
Category
Speed (km/h)
Speed (mph)
Mach No. [ a]
Vehicle
Crew
Date
Certifier
Refs
Uncrewed aerial vehicle
21,245
13,201
~20
HTV‑2
(uncrewed)
22 Apr 2010
(unofficial)
[ 33]
Crewed, rocket-powered
7,270
4,520
6.7
North American X‑15A‑2
William J. Knight
3 Oct 1967
GWR
[ 34] [ 35]
Crewed, air-breathing
3,529 .56
2,193 .17
3.3
Lockheed SR‑71A Blackbird #61‑7958
Eldon W. Joersz
28 Jul 1976
FAI
[ 36] [ 37]
Propeller-driven
927 .4
576 .3
~ 0.85
Piaggio P.180 Avanti
Joseph J. Ritchie, Steve Fossett
6 Feb 2003
FAI
[ 38] [ 39]
Piston-engined
850 .24
528 .31
0.69
Grumman F8F Bearcat (modified)Rare Bear
Lyle Shelton
21 Aug 1989
FAI
[ 40] [ 41]
Electric [ b]
555.9
345.4
0.45
Rolls-Royce AccelSpirit of Innovation
Steve Jones
19 Nov 2021
FAI
[ 42]
Helicopter [ note 1]
400 .87
249 .09
0.33
Westland Lynx 800 G‑LYNX
John Egginton
11 Aug 1986
FAI
[ 43] [ 44]
Glider (sailplane) [ c]
306 .8
190 .6
0.25
Schempp‑Hirth Nimbus‑4DM
Klaus Ohlmann (pilot), Matias Garcia Mazzaro
22 Dec 2006
FAI
[ 45]
Airship [ note 2]
115 .1
71 .5
0.09
Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik LZ N07‑100 (DLZFN)
Steve Fossett (pilot), Hans‑Paul Ströhle
27 Oct 2004
FAI
[ 47] [ 48]
Human-powered
44 .32
27 .54
0.03
Musculair 2
Holger Rochelt
2 Oct 1985
FAI
[ 49] [ 50]
Ground effect vehicle
See entry under § Watercraft .
^ Mach number depends on ambient temperature, and thus altitude, as well as speed; it is not a direct measure of speed.
^ Over a 3-kilometer course
^ Average speed over an out-and-return course of 500 km
Noted unofficial records [ edit ]
^ Unofficial helicopter speed records by the Sikorsky X2 (460 km/h on 15 September 2010) and the Eurocopter X3 (472 km/h on 7 June 2013) would surpass this record if accepted.
^ Greater speeds reportedly achieved by rigid airships, including 140.3 kilometres per hour (87.2 mph) by the American USS Macon (ZRS-5) , are not recognized by the FAI, because these runs did not account for wind speed by flying a set course in both directions.[ 46]
^ a b Ground effect vehicles (a.k.a. "Wing-In-Ground effect vehicles") are classified as maritime vessels, rather than aircraft, by the International Maritime Organization.[ 61]
^ Measured over 1 km with a flying start
In order to unambiguously express the speed of a spacecraft, a frame of reference must be specified. Typically, this frame is fixed to the body with the greatest gravitational influence on the spacecraft, as this is the most relevant frame for most purposes.[ 66] Velocities in different frames of reference are not directly comparable; thus the matter of the "fastest spacecraft" depends on the reference frame used.
Because of the influence of gravity, maximum velocities are usually attained when a spacecraft is close to its primary body: either just after launch, at a point of closest approach (periapsis ), or during the early stages of atmospheric entry .
Parker Solar Probe (artist rendering), fastest spacecraft relative to the Sun
New Horizons (artist rendering), fastest spacecraft relative to Earth
Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown , fastest crewed vehicle relative to Earth
Space speed records
Frame of reference
Category
Speed relative to frame of reference
Vehicle
Operator
Crew
Date
Refs[ a]
km/h
km/s
mph
Sun
Periapsis
635,000
176
395,000
Parker Solar Probe
NASA
(uncrewed)
27 Sep 2023[ b]
[ 68]
Earth
Escape
58,536
16 .26
36,370
New Horizons
NASA
(uncrewed)
19 Jan 2006
[ 69]
Entry
46,100
12 .8
28,600
Stardust
NASA
(uncrewed)
15 Jan 2006
[ 70]
Entry (crewed)
39,897
11 .08
24,790
Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown
NASA
Thomas Stafford , John Young ,Eugene Cernan
26 May 1969
[ 71]
Mars
Entry
27,000
7 .6
17,000
Mars Pathfinder
NASA
(uncrewed)
4 Jul 1997
[ 72]
Jupiter
Orbit insertion
209,000
58
130,000
Juno
NASA
(uncrewed)
4 Jul 2016
[ 73] [ 66]
Entry
173,736
48 .26
108,000
Galileo
NASA
(uncrewed)
21 Sep 2003
[ 74]
Saturn
Periapsis
122,000
34
76,000
Cassini
NASA
(uncrewed)
27 Apr 2017
[ 75]
^ Speed records in this class are generally reported by the spacecraft operator and not independently verified.
^ Following one more gravity assist at Venus, the Parker Solar Probe is expected to beat this record, reaching a maximum speed at perihelion of approximately 200 km/s (720,000 km/h; 450,000 mph) on 24 December 2024.[ 67]
^ a b "D12.3.1 Average Speed". 2016 Appendix D – Regulations For Land Speed Record Attempts . Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 17 December 2015. p. 5.
^ "FIA Records List Cat. C" (PDF) . Federation Internationale de L'automobile. Retrieved 11 December 2016 .
^ Brandan Gillogly (14 August 2018), Team Vesco's Turbinator II runs 463 mph, breaks Speed Week record , Hagerty
^ Speed Week 2018 certified records , Southern California Timing Association , 18 August 2018, p. 8, archived from the original on 26 August 2018, retrieved 25 August 2018
^ 2018 Regulations For Land Speed Record Attempts . Southern California Timing Association. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018 .
^ Brownell, Bradley (12 August 2018). "Danny Thompson's Challenger II Set The Piston-Driven Land Speed Record Today, 50 Years After It First Came To Bonneville" . Jalopnik . Retrieved 20 August 2018 .
^ "Short distance record attempt / Tentative de records de courte distance: Cook Motorsports Private Land Speed Shootout – Bonneville Salt Flats, USA (September 20-25, 2010)" . Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ a b c "FIA Records List Cat. A" (Download) . Federation Internationale de L'automobile. Retrieved 11 December 2016 .
^ "International Sailing and Racing Rules I.S.R.R. – Appendixes" (PDF) . FISLY.org . Fédération Internationale de Sand et Landyachting . 6 January 2019. p. 32. Retrieved 13 April 2023 .
^ "FISLY World Record Certificate" (PDF) . Federation Internationale de Sand et Land Yachting. 24 February 2023.
^ "amateur survey" . Retrieved 13 June 2018 .
^ "IHPVA Official Speed Records" . International Human Powered Vehicle Association.
^ "Fastest solar-powered vehicle" . Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ "WES Establishes Tracked-Vehicle Speed Record" . Army Research, Development & Acquisition Magazine . 20 (4). United States Army Materiel Command : 35. July–August 1979. Retrieved 22 December 2022 .
^ Waldron, Aaron. "Rocket-powered RC car set new world record" . LiveRC.com . Retrieved 21 March 2017 .
^ "Fastest rocket-powered remote controlled car" . Guinness World Records . Retrieved 21 March 2017 .
^ Vieira, Peter (29 October 2014). "World Record! Nic Case Breaks the 200mph Barrier" . RC Car Action. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016 .
^ "Fastest battery-powered remote-controlled model car (RC)" . Guinness World Records . Retrieved 8 July 2016 .
^ "Audi RS6 sets new ice-speed record" . Top Gear . BBC. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2016 .
^ "Eugene Cernan" . Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016 .
^ "NASA Curiosity Rover lands – our top ten Mars-related records" . Guinness World Records . 8 August 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ "Test sets world land speed record" . U.S. Air Force. 30 April 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ Jenson, Randahl J. "633 mph -- nothing to mach" . Holloman Air Force Base . United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016 .
^ "Base re-enacts rocket sled test" . Spartanburg Herald-Journal . South Carolina. wire reports. 12 December 2004. p. A5.
^ "Japan's maglev train breaks world speed record with 600 km/h test run" . The Guardian . United Kingdom. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015 .
^ Willsher, Kim (2 April 2007). "TGV breaks rail-speed record" . The Guardian . Retrieved 26 September 2018 .
^ "Fastest train on a national rail system" . Guinness World Records. Retrieved 13 July 2016 .
^ Traver Adolphus, David (December 2007). "Schiene Zeppelin" . Hemming Motor News . Retrieved 23 March 2011 .
^ Orosz, Peter. "Is it a plane? Is it a train? No, it's a prop-driven V12 locomotive!" . Trainlopnik . Jalopnik . Retrieved 23 March 2011 .
^ "Mallard 75: Celebrating Britain's Steam Record" . National Railway Museum. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ "Men who served on Mallard prepare to be reunited with famous locomotive" . The Yorkshire Post . Johnston Publishing. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2016 .
^ "Fastest steam locomotive" . Guinness World Records. Retrieved 18 July 2016 .
^ "Falcon HTV-2" . Lockheed Martin. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ "Fastest Speed in a Non-Spacecraft Aircraft" . Guinness World Records . Guinness World Records Limited. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ "American X-Vehicles: An Inventory X-1 to X-50" (PDF) . NASA. June 2003. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ Swopes, Bryan (28 July 2014). "This Day in Aviation: Important Dates in Aviation History" . FAI World Record for Altitude in Horizontal Flight Archives . FAI. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ "Eldon W. Joersz (USA)" . FAI.org . 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021 .
^ "Records | World Air Sports Federation" . www.fai.org . Retrieved 13 January 2024 .
^ "Joseph J. Ritchie (USA) (7627) | World Air Sports Federation" . www.fai.org . 10 October 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2024 .
^ Lerner, Preston (November 2009). "The Bear Is Back: The winning-est Bearcat in air racing steps up once more to the starting gate" . Air & Space . Smithsonian. Retrieved 12 July 2016 .
^ "Lyle Shelton (USA)" . FAI.org . 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021 .
^ "Rolls-Royce all-electric aircraft breaks world records" . BBC News. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022 .
^ Swopes, Brian R. "11 August 1986" . This Day in Aviation . Retrieved 12 July 2016 .
^ "John Trevor Eggington (GBR)" . FAI.org . 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021 .
^ "Klauss Ohlmann (GER)" . FAI. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2018 .
^ Michel, Christian. "Steve Fossett breaks airship speed record with Zeppelin NT" . Modern Airships . Retrieved 22 May 2019 .
^ Perret, Anne-Laure (10 January 2006). "World Class Records" (PDF) (letter). Letter to National Aeronautic Association . Retrieved 12 July 2016 . [permanent dead link ]
^ "Steve Fossett (USA)" . FAI.org . 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021 .
^ "Fai Record File" . FAI . Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014 .
^ "Holger Rochelt (FRG)" . FAI.org . 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2021 .
^ "UIM World Records" . Union Internationale Motonautique. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016 .
^ "Water Speed Record (Fastest Boat)" . Guinness World Records . Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ "Fastest propeller-driven boat" . Guinness World Records . Retrieved 8 July 2016 .
^ "Top Fuel Drag Boat Problem Child Sets World Record" . Red Line Oil. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2016 .
^ "VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Smashes Speed Record" . Blue Water Sailing . 30 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ "Vestas Sailrocket Smashes World Speed Sailing Record… Again!" . PredictWind.com . 27 November 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ "Fastest Hovercraft" . Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ Wall, Matthew; Drela, Mark; Finberg, Steve. "Decavitator Human-Powered Hydrofoil" . Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ "Water" . International Human Powered Vehicle Association. Retrieved 11 July 2016 .
^ "9th International Subraces Conclude with New World Speed Records" . International Submarine Races. Retrieved 13 November 2014 .
^ Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) (November 2001). "Wing-in-Ground (WIG) craft" . International Maritime Organization. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014 .
^ Committee to Perform a Technology Assessment Focused on Logistics Support Requirements for Future Army Combat Systems (1999). Reducing the Logistics Burden for the Army After Next (Report). National Research Council. p. 68. "This large aircraft has flown at 650 km/h (350 knots) ..."
^ Tyler, Patrick (1986). Running Critical . New York: Harper&Row. pp. 23–26, 34–46.
^ Tovey, Alan (16 December 2014). "Already faster than a cheetah, the Navy's two-tonne Spearfish torpedoes are getting an upgrade" . The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 12 July 2016 .
^ "VA-111 Shkval torpedo" . Military Periscope . 1 December 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2016 .
^ a b McKinnon, Mika (12 July 2016). "Was Juno the fastest spacecraft ever? Only kind of" . Astronomy . Retrieved 12 July 2016 .
^ Hollingum, Ben (30 October 2018). "NASA probe breaks speed records as it tops 150,000 mph on way to the Sun" . Guinness World Records. Retrieved 1 November 2018 .
^ Buckley, Michael (28 September 2023). "Parker Solar Probe Sets Distance, Speed Marks on 17th Swing by the Sun – Space Coast Daily" . Space Coast Daily . Retrieved 28 September 2023 .
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^ Edquist, Karl T.; Dyakonov, Artem T.; Wright, Michael J.; Tang, Chun Y. (25 June 2011). "Aerothermodynamic Design of the Mars Science Laboratory Backshell and Parachute Cone" (PDF) . American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics . Retrieved 7 July 2024 .
^ Kremer, Ken (9 July 2016). "Welcome to Jupiter– NASA's Juno Achieves Orbit Around 'King of the Planets' " . Retrieved 12 July 2016 .
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^ R. Thompson, Jay (27 April 2017). "Cassini's two speeds" .
Extremes of motion
Speed Distance Endurance See also
World records People Sporting records
National records Motion records
Structures Physical phenomena